The Choice
by HeyArnoldFan21
Summary: Short one-shot about Katniss and Peeta making different choices in the arena.


**Felt like writing a one-shot about Everlark. All these new TV spots, trailers, and interviews inspired me. Thanks for reading!**

"The earlier revision has been…revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." The boom of his voice fades away, the static of the microphone still trickling across the arena after he's done speaking.

Katniss turns to me, her eyebrows furrowed together. She always tries to seem like she can handle everything the world throws at her; time can only make her realize that no one can be that strong. "Peeta," she manages to slip out.

I know what has to happen in order for my love to survive. Katniss picks up on my thoughts quickly and begins shaking her head. "No, Peeta. No. You're not doing this, I won't let you."

"Katniss," I say softly. I pull her close to me, caressing her face between my hands. It seems I never truly appreciated how beautiful her gray eyes were, despite that they were now filled with tears. "You can go home. You _deserve_ to go home."

"No!" she screams. "I won't let you do this, Peeta! You will _not_ sacrifice yourself for _me_!" She sounds disgusted with herself. She is still shaking her head in disbelief.

"Out of anybody in the games, _you_ should be the one seeing your family again; Prim, your mother, Gale." A tear rolls down her cheek. I brush my thumb on her soft skin.

I run my fingers over her hair, wanting that to be the last thing I touch. I step away from her and hand her my knife. The pain strewn across her face is clear. She stops the sobs that were making her chest heave for air.

The panic and worry that was in her eyes disappears. She grabs the knife quickly from my hands, and as I'm preparing for the pain that I'm willing to endure for her survival, she thrusts the sharp blade into her stomach.

Her pupils widen. _What has she done? _She begins to fall onto the ground, but I quickly move my hands beneath her and catch her body. She stares into my eyes.

I begin sobbing uncontrollably. "Katniss! What have you done?" I say, searching for an answer on her face. "Why did you do that?!"

She smiles weakly, blood trickling for the corner of her mouth. "You can go home now."

I hold her hand tightly. "I don't have a family to go home to! You're the only person I care about!"

She nods. I place my hand on her chest to feel her heart fluttering with its last moments of life. "I couldn't have lived…knowing you weren't there." She smiles again, placing her hand on my cheek. "Thank you," she says tenderly.

"Katniss!" I scream. "_Please_ don't do this to me!" I cry hysterically, frantically trying to think of a way to let her live. "You _can't_ leave me. I can't live without you!"

Her eyes swell with tears. "I'm sorry," she says, her hand leaving my face. "Take care of them…please."

"Don't say that. You'll be fine; you'll live." She's not leaving me; she's not hurt; I won't live without her.

She shakes her head ever so slightly, her face, wet with tears. "I'm sorry, Peeta." I hold onto to her voice. Hearing her say my name is the most beautiful sound on earth.

I don't know what to do. I look around me hysterically. "Please!" I scream into the grid marked sky of the arena. "Please! Save her!"

I look back down at her. Her eyelids flutter as she lets out one small breath; her last breath. The life in her eyes leaves instantly, and her body goes limp. The canon sounds.

I shake my head violently. I clutch onto her shirt, screaming into her chest. "Save her!" I cry, searching for any sign of life. But it's hard to look for something that's not there. "Please! Please!"

I cradle her in my lap, unable to let her go. I don't want to forget how she feels, how she sounds, how she looks. I pull the knife gently out of her bloodstained shirt and throw it. I don't want it anywhere near me. I sob into the crook of her neck. All I want to hear is her sweet voice, singing so beautifully that the birds stop to listen.

As badly as I want to relive the memories, thinking about not being able to talk, touch, and listen to her makes me sob even more. "I'm sorry," I whisper to her. "I'm so sorry."

The loud buzz of a hovercraft hums in the distance. I hold onto her, knowing that if I let go, I won't be able to see her again.

I hold her head in my hands and refuse to leave her. The hovercraft appears above me, coaxing me to move so it can take away the remains of the person I love.

I block out the noise, the voice of the game maker; everything to remind me that she's gone.

Before I can realize what's happening, I feel strong hands jerk my body backwards. Without her body I feel cold and alone. I struggle as much as I can from the peacekeepers. In front of me, one man dressed in pristine white picks up Katniss.

"Don't touch her, you monster!" I scream at him. "Give her to me! Please, stop!" Her braid is the last thing I see before he turns around and walks back to the hovercraft. I thrash violently, trying to free myself and run to her. I feel a sharp pain in the crook of my neck.

I can only hold on for so long before the drug flows through every inch of my body. The last ounce of consciousness is used to remember the feel of her smooth skin brushing against my own, the sound of her voice, in every form, and the beauty of her whole being.

The mere thought of living without her was never an option.

It's now my life.


End file.
